Shooters Waterfront

Shooters Waterfront: 3033 NE 32nd Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308

Our friends invited us to check out Shooters for Jerry’s birthday.  We wanted to go somewhere nice, with great food and a better atmosphere than most of the restaurants in town.  This is not the Shooters that many people will remember from a few years ago.  And let me say I am so thankful it is not.  The valet was a little slow this night as there was only one person running the whole thing.  Once inside we were greeted with smiling faces from the two hostesses.  One walked us outside and let us decide where we wanted to sit.  We ended up sitting in the garden section right along the boat dock.  If you happen to have a boat, you can easily sail up and dock next to the restaurant.They are open for lunch and dinner and on Sunday you can even have brunch there.

We sat at a table for five.  We were right next to the dock so you could easily see the water and all the different boats and water taxis going up and down the intercoastal waterway.  We were there for dinner which will provide you with some amazing views of the sunset.  To start off we had fried Calamari which was perfectly cooked and had a dipping sauce of jalapeño aioli.  But this is not a hot aioli, it has the perfect amount of hot and flavor.  We also had the Coconut Shrimp as another appetizer which comes with chili infused orange marmalade.    Our waiter Kendrick was very attentive and made sure we had not only a fabulous meal, but a great time while we were there.

For our main dishes, we had five very different dishes.  Let’s start with the Cajun Shrimp Fettuccine.  It was perfectly spiced with cajun seasoning, parmesan, bacon salt, mornay sauce, and mushrooms.  Our friend Joe could not stop raving about this dish.  They used jumbo shrimp and it was just the right amount of food.  The combination of flavors went well together and the pasta was perfectly cooked.  Next up was the Seared Brown Butter Scallops and Shrimp which was accompanied by corn risotto, seared asparagus, citrus beurre blanc.  The scallops and shrimp were cooked in a way that they absorbed the flavors of the plate.  It looked so great when it came out, Jerry was trying to decide if he really wanted to eat it. But in the end he did not leave anything on his plate.  Next up was the Blackened Mahi Tacos served with rice.  Normally this dish is Flash Fried, but you can also get it prepared blackened which is what our friend Chris asked for.  You get three tacos with a nice sized portion of Mahi in each one, and tangy slaw, pickled radish, lime crema to top them off.  Ken decided to really go all out and try the Shooters Waterfront Cheeseburger with a side of french fries.  It was cooked to his liking and very juicy.  The fries were nothing special, I think they could have added some cajun seasoning or maybe even old bay to them to give a little flavor.  Also the menu said shoestring fries, but as you can see from the photo they were not shoestring but regular cut.  To me french fries should be just as much a focal point of a food dish as the rest of the meal.  Can you tell I like my fries?  Finally I had the Slow Braised Beef Short Rib, which was accompanied by smashed potatoes and a port wine reduction.  The bad part was that the short rib was swimming in the port wine reduction.  It had an amazing flavor, but I would have preferred that they go a bit lighter on the sauce to let the flavor of the rib come through more. Don’t get me wrong the short rib was perfectly cooked, very tender and juicy.  I really enjoyed eating every bite of it.  The smashed potatoes were a nice compliment side item and because of the reduction had extra flavor to them.  So we were not disappointed at all.  We also ended up having Key Lime Baked Alaskan for dessert since it was Jerry’s birthday.   There was not an unhappy person in the group.  All of our bellies were full and smiles on our face from the fabulous meal that we had.

There is both inside and outside seating and no matter where you sit, you will always have a great view of the water.  There are also two bars inside and one outside.  During the off season and weeknights the outside bar is usually not open.  On weekends though the outside bar will get very busy.  The lower bar inside is also very busy almost any night of the week.  Both are fantastic if you like to people watch like me.  The upper bar is usually not very busy and neither are the tables in that section.  However the rest of the restaurant is busy every night of the week.  We recommend reservations to ensure you will get a table.  Pricing of the menu is in line with a finer dining establishment.  If you are going to have drinks that can really add up fast to your dinner tab.  But it is well worth the price for the meal you will enjoy dining on.  And even though this is a fine dining establishment, it has a very casual atmosphere which will make any one feel comfortable there.  We recommend this place to everyone.

Pricing: $$ to $$$ for lunch, $$$ to $$$$ for Dinner